The omnibus, or horse bus, was the beginning of mass transit in New York City.  It was the first means of mass land transportation in the city and it was essentially an oversized stage coach drawn by horses.  An omnibus could accommodate 12 passengers, who let the driver know they wanted to get off by pulling a leather strap that was attached to his ankle.  Omnibus travel was widely popular within New York city limits, as people used this mode of transportation to get from their places of residence to their work places. The popularity of omnibuses was unfortunate in terms of street crowding and the sheer number of them that navigated the city.  At the time the omnibuses monopolized the streets of New York, because they were a revolutionary mode of public transportation that allowed people to get from point A to point B within the city limits of New York. Omnibuses were eventually replaced with iron rails and trolleys that required far less space to transport just as many people.   

The omnibus was a very dangerous mode of transportation, particularly for pedestrians.  Newspapers in New York were constantly publishing articles detailing omnibus accidents, many fatal.  Unfortunately, children were often the victims of omnibus accidents and they seldom survived the encounters.  Just one of the many people injured or killed by an omnibus was a 3 year old child who was run over while crossing the street in 1850 and did not survive.    

Sources:

A Statement of Facts in Relation to the Origin, Process, and Prospects of the New York and Harlem Railroad Company. New York, NY: George P Scott &, 1833.

Bubbins, Harry. "One Hundred Twenty Five Years of NYC Streetcars Started in the Village." GVSHP | Preservation | Off the Grid. April 06, 2016. Accessed February 18, 2019. https://gvshp.org/blog/2016/04/06/last-stop-for-trolleys-in-nyc-1957/.

"Home Department." Commercial Advertiser (New York, New York) LIII, August 29, 1850: [2]. Readex: America's Historical Newspapers. https://infoweb.newsbank.com/apps/readex/doc?p=EANX&docref=image/v2:104….